Protect Your Family from Food Poisoning

The Basics

Food poisoning (or foodborne illness) happens when you get sick from eating or drinking something that has harmful germs in it – like bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Two common causes of food poisoning are E. coli and Salmonella.

Following good habits like these can help protect you and your family from food poisoning:

Buy food from stores that look and smell clean.

Don’t buy food past “sell by,” “use by,” or other expiration dates.

Wash your hands often with warm water and soap – especially before and after touching food.

If you live far from the store, pack a cooler with ice for your cold items.

If it’s a hot day and you have the air conditioning on in your car, keep groceries in the passenger area instead of the trunk. This will help keep them cool.

Put cold foods in the refrigerator or freezer as soon as you get home.

Protect yourself from food poisoning at home.After you get the food home and stored away safely, follow these tips for a healthy kitchen.

Keep your hands, kitchen, and food clean.Wash your hands often with warm water and soap, especially:

Before and after handling food

After using the bathroom

After changing a diaper

After touching pets

Wash all fruits and vegetables under running water, even if you plan to cut or peel them.

Make sure to wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils (like knives and spoons), and counters with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item.

Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from ready-to-eat foods.Use one cutting board for raw meat, poultry, and seafood and another one for fresh foods (like vegetables and fruits). If you have only one cutting board, wash it with hot soapy water after you prepare each type of food.

Place cooked food onto a clean plate. Don’t use a plate that had raw or uncooked food on it – especially raw meat, poultry, or seafood.

Make sure food is safely cooked.You can’t tell if meat, poultry, and eggs are cooked just by looking at them.

The only way to be sure food is cooked safely is to use a food thermometer. A food thermometer checks the temperature inside the food to make sure the food is safe to eat.

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Page last updated:
Sunday, August 02, 2015